And the Pieces Fall Together
by Sanru
Summary: No one ever realizes what the difference one person can make in the lives of a family until they are gone. Now that they have him back the real challenge has begun. Is it possible to save him? Or is he gone forever? Companion to Picking Up the Pieces.
1. Chapter 1: Two Missing Sons

Disclaimer: Does anyone have any idea of how much money I would make if I did own them? That would be insane…

Author Notes: Here it is the long awaited companion piece to Picking Up the Pieces

Each chapter is going to be from a different family member's point of view (that includes April and Casey) and occasionally have several point of views in one chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to write the characters well enough so that I won't have to say who's who but if someone requests me to change that I will.

Enjoy!

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And the Pieces Fall Together

Chapter One: Two Missing Sons

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Aging happens. Everything must age and eventually end. That is the way of life. Life is like a flower. It blooms, shines for the world to admire before fading away but not before sending seeds out to make more beautiful flowers. I am a flower that is slowly withering away but I have also sent four seeds off that are blooming beautifully together. My sons have almost reached their prime, shining for all to see even if most would view them as monster or aliens or freaks. Their hearts are good, their souls are pure and even after I have passed they will stand together. However, until that day comes, I will continue to act as their Sensei, as their father.

I have never wished for my youth again. I have wished for many other things in my life. I have wished for my Sensei and father to be with me now. I have wished that Teng Shen to be alive once again. I have wished for the Shredder to never have come after my Master Yoshi in the first place. Most importantly of all, I have wished that my sons' lives had never been tainted by the fear, violence and bloodshed that they have been exposed to. They are barely eighteen, an age where they should never have to worry about the world ending as often as they do.

However, as I sit here meditating in my room, listening for anything that would alert me to someone entering our home, I find myself wishing for my youth. I wish to be young again. I wish to be out there in the city, something I thought I would never wish for before. I wish to be out with sons, searching for the other two.

They may not notice it but I have long since stopped breaking up my sons fights unless they become physical. Thankfully those rarely happen anymore. With their fighting prowess I doubt that I would be able to stop a fight between them. I will not be here forever to stop their fights. They must learn to stop them on their own. They have to learn how to forgive each other after those fights. They have to learn that one day, I will not be here to make amends between them. That having differences between them make it easier to coop and live together as a family.

Five days ago, my sons had a fight that surpassed every one of the fights that they had ever had before. It happened right after lunch. I was in a deep meditation when I heard the arguing beginning. Thinking it was just one of their many squabbles over the remote, I ignored what was happening outside my room. Occasionally they would wrestle for the remote and as long as nothing was broken I don't punish them for those friendly matches outside the dojo. It wasn't until I heard Donatello, my quiet and most logical son, raise his voice that was tainted with anger and sadness did I realize that something was very wrong.

I moved as quickly as my old body would allow as the sound of a slamming door filled the lair. The room outside was about what I thought it would be. Three of my sons were standing there shocked at what had just transpired. Michelangelo had both of his hands covering his mouth and, judging by his tearful and scared eyes, whatever he had said had caused Donatello to yell and stomp out of the room. Raphael was staring stunned at my youngest confirming my belief that Michelangelo was defiantly the one who upset Donatello. Leonardo was staring at the door to Donatello's workshop which was closed, something he only did when he wanted to be left alone or when he was working with something dangerous and rather not be disturbed. At that time I knew it had been for the later reason.

I have only to blame myself for not going through that door to speak with Donatello then. Leonardo had wanted to speak to Donatello which I flat out refused him to do. I forbade my sons from speaking to each other for the next few hours so that they could think about what they had done. I told them that in five hours time I would gather them back together with Donatello and they would all tell me what they had learned. They had seemed shocked by my sternness but reluctantly agree, leaving one by one to their rooms to either meditate, read comic books, or destroy another punching bag in the dojo.

I should have gone through Donatello's door then and spoke to him but right before I was about to knock on the door I could hear the near silent sobs through the door. I had made a choice then, the wrong choice as the case was, turning and leaving my son in his silence. Donatello never was one for crying on one's shoulder, instead choosing to bottle his emotions up inside himself until he had a moment to himself. I have argued with him many times that it is unhealthy to torture himself so but he insists that it is how he prefers to deal with his pain. He swore to me that if the pain ever became more then what he could handle then he would seek out myself or one of his brothers.

I never realized how advanced Donatello had become in his stealth skills before that night those five long days ago. I never heard him leave the lair. It wasn't until I had gathered my sons together that Leonardo and Raphael both informed me of seeing Donatello heading out the door with a duffle bag over his shoulder. However, none of my sons could recall seeing Donatello return. As quick as I had ever seen him, Michelangelo was in the workshop, hollering at the top of his lungs for Donatello. Raphael flipped up to the second story and did a quick sweep of Donatello's room. The knowledge that he was still gone did not sit well with any of them and before I could stop them, my three remaining sons had torn out of the lair heading for the one place Donatello was known to go to when he was upset or in search of new parts.

After an hour of waiting my fears began to grow. I knew something had happened to my sons and I hoped that my training would be enough to see them through. I waited for many hours, twitching at the slightest sound like a nervous animal. I could not find the normal peacefulness in meditation that night and choose to make a cup of tea in an attempt to relax. It was as the water was boiling did I pull my favorite teacup from the cupboard only to have it shatter in my hands.

It was a bad omen.

I had barely turned to look at the clock when I heard the door to the lair open. I heard near silent voices and then feet heading in separate directions, set coming towards me and two more heading down the hallway to my sons' rooms. I reached for a small dust pan and broom as I heard Leonardo come up behind me. Had it been an injury his footsteps would not fall so slow or sound as defeated as they did right then. I knew I didn't want to hear the news he was bringing me but I square my shoulders as I swept the remains of the cup up into a small pile for disposal. "What is it, Leonardo?" I asked him in a voice that was calmer then I though I could have pulled off right then.

He struggled for a moment, trying to find the right words to tell me that Donatello had been kidnapped. Kidnapped… my second youngest and gentlest son had been taken from us… it still bares a heavy sound to the ears. All his brothers had found of him was his broken cell phone and his duffle that had been sliced through by a sharp weapon. The duffle now sits repaired in a corner of my room, waiting for the return of its owner.

It's been waiting there for five days with no word about Donatello or his well being. I can sense my sons are all frustrated with their lack of answers on the whereabouts of their brother. Leonardo has been pushing himself too hard, I can see it when he comes to tell me of their findings every night which are always littered with holes and unanswered question. I have caught him several times thinking of where his brother could be instead of resting like he should be. Michelangelo has become withdrawn during this entire episode. He's lost his wit and humor. I know he blames himself for Donatello's disappearance and no matter what any of us says he seems to believe that it is his fault and his alone that Donatello left there lair that night. Raphael was seemingly unaffected when Donatello was taken. He seemed quiet, more withdrawn then normal, and he was spending more time in the dojo. It wasn't until tonight that we realized how shaken he actually was by Donatello's kidnapping.

Now instead of looking for one son, Leonardo and Michelangelo are searching for two.

None of us remembered seeing Raphael for the better part of the day and, according to Ms. O'Neil and Mr. Jones, neither of them have seen Raphael today either. I have tried countless times to ream in the monster that is Raphael's anger but each time I try to help him he seems to push my consoling away. I understand that what might work for one might not work for another but every time he dismisses my help it still hurts just as much. My heart was healed from his dismissal every time he sought out Donatello after talking to me. Even if he feels he can not talk about his feelings, being around Donatello seems to calm him much like the old saying. Music soothes the savage beast.

Now the musician is gone and the beast has been let loose.

I fear that Raphael may have gotten in over his head. It was only after we had noticed Raphael missing that Leonardo and I seemed to come to the same decision. Raphael had left so that neither of his remaining brothers would be hurt in case he ran into any trouble. He had left on a path of vengeance. Normally I do not fear for the safety and well being of the lowlifes that populate the streets above but tonight I wish them safety. I wish for them to hide indoors and not cause mischief this night. I know Raphael will not stop until he has torn through everyone and anyone who may have taken Donatello. No matter the odds or obstacles he must over come, Raphael will do everything in his power to find Donatello. If there is one thing that amazes me about my second eldest son it is the fact that he can be ten times as stubborn as a mule when it comes to someone telling him what to do and what not to do.

Hm? My eyes pop open as I resurface to the plane of the living faster then I should have. I let my eyes fall shut for another moment letting the wave of dizziness pass before slowly unfolding myself from the lotus position I had been resting in. I am getting old. My joints now pop and creak with the slightest movement. Soon I'll be forced to use that blasted cane at all times and not just when the rain is soon to fall.

I'm only halfway to the other side of the room when the door is slid open revealing my two eldest sons in the frame. Leonardo is standing slightly behind Raphael with a hand on his shoulder and a frown marring his features. I can understand his pain. Leonardo is torn between discipline Raphael about running off and forcing them to waste an entire night searching for Donatello looking for Raphael instead or acting as a supportive figure. I merely have to take a sideways glance at Raphael's fallen features and timid movements to know that he didn't learn anything more about Donatello than we had already known.

There is a rank stench in the air that I have only smelt in the lair a few times in the past years and then only when April herds my sons together into a 'spring cleaning'. I'm still trying to learn of all of humanities customs but this is the only one I entirely agree on with no remorse. If only I could convince my sons such as April does and manage to have them clean our home more then once a year. Still this smell is out of place in our home considering it is nearing the fall months. I wonder… Oh no… I let my eyes fall close for a moment as Leonardo and Raphael walk into the room, the later falling to his knees before me.

Where is my youngest son? "Leonardo," besides, it will be easier to talk to Raphael in private. This is a burden I want to keep Leonardo from as long as possible. A confrontation such as this will leave anyone shaking even if they have done it before which even I have not. My sons usually listen to my words but I know that Raphael has gone far beyond that tonight. Leonardo is waiting as patience for my orders as ever before. He will make a fine clan leader one day. "Where is Michelangelo?"

Despite his youthfulness I can see the hard lies of fear, strain and exhaustion etched into his face, making him appear thirty years older then he already is. "He… retired to his room for the night."

I sigh. Clearly Leonardo knows that is not what he is doing either. He had been so pale and shaken when Raphael was found to be missing I had been worried he would fall to the floor. "Go to him, Leonardo." A simple -yet deep- bow and he's off. Now that we are alone I can do my best at soothing the emotions raging in my son. I kneel before him on the opposite side of the table watching as he twists and fidgets yet keeps his eyes down cast in a sign of respect and shame.

I don't know how long we sat there waiting fro the other to speak. I had been hoping that Raphael would willingly come out and admit to what he has done but I can understand his shame. He knows he has not only disgraced me and my teachings but everything else he has been fighting for in the first place. "How many?" my voice sounds loud to my ears and I can see the muscles across his shoulders tense suddenly. He knows I know what he has done yet still hopes to get out of confessing it. I nearly shake my head in exasperation. Teenagers…

"Seventy two…" his voice is small as if saying it quieter will somehow make me less mad at him. It's odd to see Raphael sitting before me as timidly as he is now. He hides his emotions behind a mask of anger and hate but his heart is filled with love and devotion.

Seventy two… Raphael's training has progressed indeed if he was able to defeat seventy two people on his own tonight. However it burdens me to press further into this issue. If only this was one of his normal… 'stress breaks' as he calls them… "How many of them did you maim?"

He licks his lips nervously. "Twelve…"

Now is the hardest question I have ever asked of you, my son. Please be strong. I close my eyes for a moment as I ask, "How many of them did you kill." I can hear his deep intake of breath. I was right. I was hoping I would be wrong in my assumption but… oh Raphael.

"F-four…"

His voice cracks and I know it's only the beginning. I open my eyes in time to see Raphael scrubbing the back of his hand across his beak furiously. He can't keep hiding his pain like this. It's tearing him apart from the inside. He doesn't need to be dealing with this burden on top of losing his brother. I stand slowly, listening as my joints creak and I hear one pop as I move stiffly around the small table. The role of Sensei is now over and the role of Father must begin. I kneel next to him and wrap my arms around him. One's first kill is never easy but I can only imagine the feeling of lost Raphael must be experiencing right now. Not only did he lose his confidant but he had also killed four men in fruitless search for him.

I do not mark the track of time as I act as a shoulder for Raphael to lean on. I only know it has been passing by the dampness that spreads over my robe and down into my fur. My poor son… I rub the back of his neck soothingly. I wish you would tell me how you were feeling but I know that you don't tell anyone that. Not even Donatello if he asked. He's gently trying to pull away from me and I let him go reluctantly. His emotional mask is now firmly back in place even though the cracks are still visible.

I give him a tired smile as he meets my eyes for the fist time that night. He's still shaken by what he has done in his anger but there is little more I can do for him. He breaks eye contact first and looks away. "I-I'm sorry, Father." He takes a deep breath as if trying to expel the pain that was inside him. "I've disgraced you and your teachings." He shifts backwards more and presses his forehead to the floor in an apologetic bow. "I'm sorry."

I return his bow before rising to my feet and walking around the small table once again. It is now time to be his Sensei and give him a punishment suitable for what he has done. He's not looking me in the eyes anymore, instead he's keeping his head bowed in a sign of submission. I honestly do not know what I can give him as a suitable punishment for I wish I had been there by his side during his late night rampage. "Raphael," he flinches at my tone. "I am not mad at you for what you have done for I too wish I could be out there searching for your brother. However, this is not about my feelings as much as it is about honor and hope. I know you and your brothers will find Donatello but as long as you let anger and fear dictate your actions you are causing more obstructions between us and our goal."

He bows his head even lower before me.

I close my eyes and count to ten in Japanese. It was paining me to see my most outspoken son so broken. Even though I have not been able to reach out to Donatello through meditation, if it will give him his usual spark back I will flat out lie to him. "Raphael, do not give up hope just yet. I can sense your brother in my meditations." His look is painfully hopeful and I feel a sharp ache in my chest. I can not believe that I have just lied to him. "Though I can not reach out to him, I know he is still alive."

He licks his lips and nods his head. The son I am use to is slowly coming out of the dark corner of his mind he had hidden himself away in. He is still hesitant and I know he is waiting for punishment for his actions tonight. "And my… punishment?" his voice is acceptant, whatever I say, I know he will do.

I let my eyes close again before reopening them with a hard stare. What about his punishment indeed. Killing four innocents, regardless of their crimes, is not something I can just dismiss. "I should band you from searching for Donatello, to make sure that you do not take another life," I hold up my hand as he opens his mouth to object. Had I given him that as his punishment I know Raphael would openly defy me and leave the lair to search on his own, that is something to be avoided at all costs. I don't want one of my other sons to vanish as Donatello had. "However, I want Donatello home as much as you do so I will allow you to continue searching **with** your brothers. Until Donatello is found Raphael, I forbid you from fighting unless your life or one of your brothers' lives is in danger. Do you understand?"

I can see him seething behind his eyes but both of us know the punishment should have been much more severe. Still taking away Raphael's ability to fight will mean more time repairing the practice equipment in the dojo. I must look into teaching Raphael to repair what he has destroyed. "Yes, Sensei."

I nod my head and watch as he leaves the room. Just before exiting he turns to me and says, "I am… still very sorry for my actions Sensei. I will not disgrace you as I have tonight ever again. I will return honor to your name." He bows low to me and leaves. I have a feeling that when Raphael finds out who took Donatello he will be hard pressed not to kill them. I let my eyes close again as I take a moment to reflect on what I had jut done. To have lied to my son as such is unforgettable but the hope I have given him is not.


	2. Chapter 2: I Promise

Disclaimer: Does anyone have any idea of how much money I would make if I did own them? That would be insane…

Author's Notes: Caution: More sappiness and tearfulness resides in this chapter. You have been warned.

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And the Pieces Fall Together

Chapter Two: I Promise

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I've never suffered from this before, all the added stress and worry is beginning to add up on me. My brother –my second youngest brother- is missing, taken from us by some… maniacal force with some form of evil intent. If it had been to lure us into a trap then… wouldn't the trap had already been sprung? Wouldn't we have received a threat on his life by now? But what if it's for an even darker reason? What if a scientist is right now dissecting him?!

I can't help but grit my teeth and glare at the ceiling in anger.

That'll be the last thing that scientist **ever **does!

I force myself to take a calming breath, forcing all the anger and hate out of my body. I need to get to sleep. I can't keep laying here glaring at the ceiling for most of the night only to spend all day trying to figure out what had happened to him and finally running all over the city looking for him. I'm going to make a mistake soon. I'm running my body too hard, forcing it to do everything and anything that I have been trained to do and even work past that limitation. I can feel myself wearing out but nothing I seem to do allows me piece of mind. Not while he's still missing.

I stare back up at the ceiling listening to the sounds of my sleeping home trying to use them to relax me into sleep. I can hear that annoying clock ticking away the minutes to a new day downstairs in the kitchen. The soft snores of my brothers fill the air. Occasionally I can hear the barest of creaks from Raphael's hammock as he shifts about. I can hear Michelangelo mumbling in his sleep about something that most likely has to do with video games or food. Perhaps both. I cannot hear Splinter save for the faintest whispers of his breath. This is almost like meditation. It's so relaxing and soothing knowing that they are all safe and sleeping deeply.

But there is a great silence filling our home as well.

There is no faint clacking of the keyboard as fingers fly over it faster then I have ever though possible. There is an absent of the hissing welder's arch or the rhythmic pounding of a hammer against metal. Even though he sound proofed his workshop long ago, you can still just barely hear what Donatello is doing if you listen well. My eyes seek out the glowing red numbers of my alarm clock. It's getting close to two in the morning. He should be heading to bed soon. I should be hearing his steps cross the living room and start up the stairs. I should be hearing a pen scribbling down any last ideas from his late night of work on a clipboard as he heads past my door. I should be hearing his door close and then his rhythmic breathing as he too finally joins the rest of us in sleep.

This is all so wrong…

Donatello, where are you?

I thump my head back against my pillow. I almost wish it was something harder but self mutilation won't help anyone right now. The key here is finding out what happened to Don. It was obvious by the evidence in the junkyard that he was attacked by someone and taken away but who could have done this? Again, a question that really doesn't have any answers. It's almost easier to think of who wouldn't have taken him. Anyone could have but to have required skill enough to take Donatello down in a fight? There are still too many to make a worth while guess at but revenge for his kidnapping can come after we've found him.

I should have stopped him. I heard him saying something about heading out to the junkyard but Sensei had told us not to each other. I though he had told Donnie too. I had been angry with him for breaking Sensei's orders and had ignored him as I meditated. I should have said something when he left. I should have offered to go with him. I should have told him to stay put. I shouldn't have started yelling at him in the first place! I should have- I need to calm down. Get all flustered about what I should have done isn't going to help me find Don any faster. I can figure this out. I just need to relax and focus. I mentally center myself and begin to focus on my breathing. In… and out… In… and out… In… and out…

Huh? I open my eyes and listen to my home again. Something isn't right. I let my hand slip out from under my blankets and trail silently down along the mattress to reach underneath the bed. My katanas are right there. I deepen my breath and let my eyes fall shut, giving off the appearance of a sleeping 'defenseless' turtle. No… it's not an intrude in the lair so who-

Another whimper and a sudden gasp reach my ears. Mikey. He had another nightmare. He's getting as little sleep as I have been of late. Of course I know what he's going to do now. He's been doing it ever since we realized Donnie had been kidnapped almost seven days ago. I shift over closer to the edge of the bed and pull down the blankets so that the space between me and the wall is open and inviting. I lean back and start what I know is a short wait for my youngest brother to bolt in here, terrified and out of breath.

-Break-

_This is so wrong. The junkyard is never this empty and deserted yet I don't hear him. This is his favorite junkyard. He always comes here. It's the closest to the lair, it has all the right junk according to him and that Chinese take-out that is just down the street is delicious! Maybe after we find him we can get Leo to let us go have some. Mmmmmm… Kung Po and Beef Lomein here I come! Oh yeah, first thing is first. Drag Donnie away from his 'shopping' long enough to get me to help convince Leo and Raph for a little late night munchies._

_Huh? Where did those two go anyways? Oh right, Mamma Bear Leo and Papa Bear Raph wanted to spilt up and cover more ground this way. It's really a waste of time. We could just yell for Don, I mean he's gotta be here in the junkyard somewhere. Of course, usually he answers his shell cell in the first two rings. Maybe something really is wrong._

_Okay Mikey, calm down. There is no_ _big green, tentaclely, slimy monster __that is here and has eaten your big brother and is coming after you. Besides if you're attacked by something just scream. Raph and Leo can play knight in shinning armor and I can wrap an old curtain around me and play the damsel in distress. Heh, heh… no, Raphie would have too much fun with that. Never mind. _

_Still, it shouldn't be this silent here. Donnie's never this quiet in the junkyard. You can always hear him shuffling around junk and trash and icky things and occasionally scaring away a random rat or too. It's not like he makes as much noise as when Raph sleeps but there's always that near silent noise you can hear in the background. Just a faint rustle that you have to be actively listening for to hear. _

_I don't like this. It's way too quiet here. Donnie's not here. I can't help but glance over my shoulder nervously and pull the Chuck Twins from my belt. There is something definitely wrong here. Where's Donnie? I slip deeper into the shadows of a junk pile as I skim around it. I wish Raph or Leo was with me. I would feel so much better if one of them had my back. _

_Hey there's that Jacuzzi I want but Don won't let me have. Something about getting it back to the lair with no broken bones. Raph was so carrying the tub last time, not me! He dropped it on my foot, not the other way around. Throwing a pie in his face should not have been an excuse to drop the tub on my foot. That hurt. Of course it meant two weeks of straight video gaming because I couldn't walk. I sigh, what I have to do to get a good gaming-thon under my belt. _

_There's something about the dirt here. It looks wrong. Like it's been kicked up or something. Thrown around. Weird. I wonder if a couple of cats got into a fight or something. Sure looks like it. But the fight scene looks too big. They must have really been going at it. Or maybe it as a dog fight or-_

"_Eep!" what was that? Oh, it was my phone. Why the shell did Leo make me put this thing on vibrate? I hate that. It always scares the shell out of me. At least Raph wasn't here to make fun of me sounding like a girl. "'Sup?" I ask into the phone looking at the dirt around me. Maybe the Professor got in a throw down with another bum? I hope he's okay._

"_Did you find anything Mikey?"_

"_Nope, not a thing," Yeah, like really got into a fight. It looks like Wrestle Mania was filmed here tonight. I'll have to make the guys stop in and check on the Professor on the way home. This fight looks like it got a little nasty. There's some blood on the ground. _

_I can hear Leo sigh in exasperation. He gets to wound up over things. I'm sure Donnie is just fine and geeking out somewhere over something… geeky. But he still would have answered his phone, right? "All right. Meet us back at the van in a couple minutes."_

_Oh, so now that we're done here we'll go to one of the other ones? I did not want to spend my night searching the trash heaps for Don. There's a mega monster marathon going on right now and I'm missing this because of him. Just because he's mad at us does not mean he can make me miss my toons. He's so going to hear about this from me. After the show of course, "Sure thing Leo. Be th-"_

_Oh no… no… please not be what I think you are… "Mikey?" Oh shell… you are… you look just like his duffle… "Mikey what's happening?" Except his duffle isn't cut open like that… it's together and kind of whole… "Mikey are you there?" I should look inside to make sure. Well, the side's partially torn open so this could be easier then I thought. "Mikey?!" Oh shell… this is his bag! It has his stuff in it! Even that pigeon puppet he carries around! "MICHELANGELO?!"_

_Oops, sounds like Leo's having an ulcer. I have kind of been ignoring him but at least I have a good reason why. "L-Leo… I… I…" Don was attacked. That's what happened. He was attacked. He's not here now… and the blood… oh shell… the blood… He's hurt! This is all my fault! I did this! I-_

"_Mikey, calm down. What happened?"_

"_He was attacked… oh shell… Leo… this is all my fault… I… I…" What have I done? Oh shell, what have I done?_

"_Where are you?"_

"_Between the Jacuzzi and pile of cars… Leo, he's gone… he was attacked and now he's gone."_

"_Mikey. Breath. I'm almost there. We'll get him some help. Breath."_

"_You don't understand Leo!" I yell into the phone even though he can probably hear me without it. "He's not here! He's been turtlenapped!"_

DONNIE! It's just my ceiling. It's just my ceiling. I'm home. I'm in bed. Is Donnie back? I gotta check. I gotta see him. Get off me! The blankets go flying and I'm charging out the door to my room and heading down the hall. I pause outside his door. It's still open. He's not here. He never leaves his door open when he's sleeping but… I peek over the railing looking for the lights in the lab or maybe the soft glow from his computers. Nothing. He's not here…

Donnie's still missing…

No… it's all my fault. I should've said those things to him. Then he wouldn't have left the lair. He would have stayed here or taken someone with him. He shouldn't have gone alone. I can't believe that he's gone. He's been gone for so long what if we're not going to be…

What if he's dead?

Because of me…

Oh shell…

I…

I-I…

I want Leo!

-Break-

He bolts back down the hallway towards my room as he has every night this week. He has to stop blaming himself for this. It's not his fault. We're all to blame for Donatello leaving the lair that night but no matter what anyone says to him, Mikey still believes it was all his doing. I've never heard such anger in his voice when he was yelling at Don that night but Raph and I weren't going easy on him either. If anything we were worst but you could see that it hurt Don more to hear Mikey say those things than if the two of us had.

The door's opened and closed before someone comes hurtling into the bed next to me. I let Mikey wrap himself around me, sneaking comfort and support. He even has his teddy bear with him. I have given up wondering if he realized he has it with him during his nightly checks and sudden sleepovers. It wouldn't make any deference either way. I clutch him close and use a free arm to throw the blankets over him to help keep him warm as he buries his face into my shoulder. He's crying, harsh sobs shaking him as he tries to press his entire body into mine. I reach up and begin to massage the back of his neck in an attempt to get him to calm down and breathe a little easier.

"It's okay, Mikey," I whisper into his ear trying to comfort him. If tonight is like every other night this week I know it's not going to help him. "Don't worry. It's going to be alright." I think that the only reason I'm still doing this is because it makes me feel better that I can at least try to comfort one brother. Raphael's barely talking to anyone unless he needs to. Even Casey's having a hard time trying to get him to loosen up a bit or at least do something more then grunt when he's being talked to.

"It's my fault… it's all my fault…" Mikey pounds a fist against my chest in frustration. There's no force in it but I still find the air being forced out of my lungs from the hit. "If I hadn't said those things… if I had just kept my mouth shut… he wouldn't be gone… he would be here!" Another harsh sob escapes him, choking off his self blame for the moment.

"We're all to blame for his disappearance, Mikey. You know that. We each had a hand in driving him out of the lair. It wasn't just you."

"Yeah, but I said what really made him mad… you could see it Leo… you could see it… he was so hurt… I knew exactly how to get under his shell and now… now… he's gone." He's calming down a little bit. His sobs don't have half the force that they did have. He's no longer pressing himself into me either. He's just laying there, relaxing into sleep again. He'll be here until I get up in the morning just like it has been this past week.

"Leo? Do you… Do you think Donnie's dead?"

What?! I can feel my eyes grow to the size of dinner plates. Is that's what's been eating at Mikey? He thinks Donnie's dead? Although it pains me to say this, he could be right. Seven days is a long time… it's possible that whoever took him did have the time to- NO! He's alive! Donatello wouldn't just give up on any of us. I refuse to let Mikey give up on him. "No, Mikey," I put all the determination into my voice as possible and squeeze Mikey tighter to myself trying to will my strength into him.

"But what if we can't find him?"

His voice is so small, so broken that I can feel tears prickle in the corner of my eyes. Stay strong, don't let him give up on Don. "We will Mikey. We're going to find him. I promise we'll get him back." I feel him nod against my shoulder even as he continues to cry silently against me. I stop rubbing at the formerly tense muscles in his neck and start to stroke my hand over the back of his head gently.

What feels like an hour later but can be barely over three minutes, Mikey is fast asleep against me. At least one of us will get a good night's sleep tonight. I don't even bother looking over at the clock. I know I won't get any sleep again tonight. Mikey's words are haunting me but I don't buy them. I just can't. Donnie's stronger than he appears. He would find a way to last while waiting for us to come rescue him. He knows we would never abandon him. He's still out there waiting for us to come and get him. And when we do, Raphael might have to pull me off whoever did this rather then the other way around.

Whoever did this will pay!

But first we have to find Don.

Revenge can wait.

I can't help feeling like I've failed him somehow. Don would have figured out what happened by now. He would have known where to look or would have been able to give me some more guidance and insight onto where he's being held. Raph is always referring to me as the leader but there are times I feel more like the figure head and Don is the one who's actually leading us. He always has the answer to our problems. He always knows what to do.

But what can I do right now? I don't even have a clue of what happen to him. All I know is that someone engaged him in a fight and beat him, taking him somewhere. But who and why? There are no clues to who his abductors are. No one's tried leading us into a trap or threaten us with his safety. Nothing. It's like he just vanished. The only other thing that vanished with him was his bo. That still doesn't make any sense to me. Most of our enemies try to separate us from our weapons if they capture us. Why would they take Don and his bo?

Mikey mumbles something about cheeseburgers and chocolate sauce in his sleep. I smile down at the top of his head. Despite his age and his detest for being called cute, Mikey is so adorable when he sleeps. But what if he's right? I frown as I think about it again. What if whoever captured Don really did kill him? I go back to looking at my ceiling, wondering about Donatello and if he was alright wherever he was.

I sure hope I didn't lie to Mikey…


	3. Chapter 3: Chasing a Shadow

Disclaimer: Does anyone have any idea of how much money I would make if I did own them? That would be insane…

Author's Notes: I love it when I'm unpredictable, don't you? It makes the story so much more fun to write knowing there are people out there trying to guess the outcome or who's next in line for point of view-ness.

* * *

And the Pieces Fall Together

Chapter Three: Chasing a Shadow

* * *

This sucks…

This really sucks…

This sucks more than when the losers stole the golden puck. They could have scratched it. That's an antique! It's really old and stuff but did they care? Nnnnooooo… all they cared about was stealing it for blackmail so some oversized land whale could have a hockey team. Some people have no sense of dignity anymore.

I flip the mute on the television before tossing the remote down next to me on the couch. Yeah, this totally sucks. I let my head flop back and I stare up at the ceiling. Still nothing. If there had been a giant turtle sighting or someone caught him it would have been in the headlines. Great… Leo's going to be calling for the news update any second now. I wish I could give him some good news for a change but there's been no special report on the news about a 'giant turtle' or anything about a monster sighting.

I should go and grab a quick bite before he calls, even though the guys are telling me I don't have to, I've been helping them search the city for Donnie. 'Sides, I know Leo's going to have me meet up with Raph and search some section of the city again. He's not the kind of guy to ask for help but he'll never turn it down if ya offer it either. Of course, it's not like Raph's been acting like himself lately. For awhile he was quiet –too quiet to be Raph- and then he went all psycho, took of on his own and tore through the East Side warehouse district. He took out one of the largest Dragon 'playgrounds' on his own.

Still wish he had come and got me. I haul myself of the couch and head for the kitchen. I doubt I would have bee able to stop him but might have been able to prevent him from sending those guys home in body bags. They would have just gone home in traction or something instead of not at all. I've seen Raphael all wonky and nuts before but I think that was scariest thing I've ever seen. Just standing in that room with those guys laying around him, covered in their blood. It was that look on his face that got me the most, like a cross between confusion, fear and sadness… and then, to top it all off, he said 'he's not here' in that broken empty voice…

Shell, that was a nightmare. I flip open another cupboard looking for something relatively quick and easy. Raph was so… out there. It was like he didn't even know I was there and I literally had to coax him to the garage I work at to get him cleaned up. I doubt Leo or Splinter would be to happy with him having killed people, even if they were Dragons. Then he came out of his trace and freaked. Oh yeah that had been a picnic and a half. Fighting Hun with both hands tied behind my back was easier than preventing Raph from hyperventilating and getting him calm down enough to go home. I'm pretty sure Leo had an idea of what was wrong with him but he didn't say anything. And there was no way I was going to rat my bro out like that.

I let the door close and thump my head off it. Donnie's disappearance is slowly tearing that family apart. Mikey's not acting like himself. He barely talks, never jokes, and I don't think he's touch a video game or comic book since Don went missing. He's just been going and staying in his room, curled up on his bed clutching that teddy bear that Don gave him when they were kids. It's sad. And with Mikey not lightening up the mood, Leo's gone all serious and obsessed. It's like he's only living for finding Donnie now. That's all he talks about and April's starting to get worried. She's not sleeping enough. I know she's barely been eating…

It makes me wonder when she's going to wig out like Raph did.

Oh man… please, I don't think I can handle that…

Well, looks like it's just going to be blue box mac and cheese again. I've been living off this stuff lately. Makes me remember the time Don went through my cabinets back when I was living alone and gave me a complete nutritional break down, throwing out all the crap that was bad for me. He nearly had a heart attack when he saw how many boxed meals and frozen dinners I had. I didn't appreciate being told how to live then but, looking back on it, I'm glad he took the time to do that. I sigh as I look at the box. I miss the gear head too.

I shake my head trying to clear my thoughts. Speaking of appreciation, I should go see if April wants to eat something and peel her away from her computer for more than a few minutes. I know I'm lucky to have a girl as smart as she is. I don't care what she says, as far as I'm concerned, she's a smart as Don is, hands down, and she's been proving it this past week. Who else would have thought to search the internet for Don? I'm not that technically inclined but she rigged up some kind of search that's giving her everything about 'giant turtle' or 'mutant' and I mean everything. Text and instant messengers too. I have no clue how she's doing it but she is and I know the guys are gratefully for her help.

I'm grateful too.

Leaving everything I need on the counter I head back out into the living room. Maybe I should see if we can talk the guys into stopping in here for a quick slice of pizza. That might help to cheer them up a bit. I wonder if I have the money to order a pizza or two. Where is my wallet? Oh yeah, it's in the bedroom. Way to go Casey. Yup, right where I left it on top of the dresser. Ten… Fifteen… Eighteen… Ah-ha! There's that twenty! Thirty eight dollars should be more then enough to buy two extra large pizza's and those cinnamon stick things that the guys love. That should help cheer them up. Well… at least some of them. It wouldn't surprise me if…

Whoa …

… what?

Don?

I feel like I'm in a dream but… there's Don. As I watch he puts the book he was looking at away and pulls another off the shelf, opens it to a random page, and then looks confused. Why would he be confused by a book about Stonehenge? He was the one who got that book for April as a present last year. This has to be karma. We've been looking all over the place for him and all I had to do was leave the living room for him to show up!

I must've made a noise or he just did that weird ninja thingy -sixth sense or whatever it is that Mikey calls it- 'cause Don suddenly looks away from the book and right at me. He's looks alright. I mean, he looks just like he did the last time I saw him before he vanished. Actually, he seems… overwhelmed? Like he can't figure something out or there's something eating at him. Either way, he's here. I can't wait to tell the guys! "Donnie! Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you! Are you okay? What happen?"

He frowns and cocks his head to the side still holding the book up like he was going to be reading it. What's wrong with him? Shouldn't he be happy to see me? Why hasn't he said anything to me? "Casey? What about Don?"

April's going to be ecstatic! Don's back! "Call the guys, babe. Donnie just came in the window!" They're going to be so relieved. I still don't like how confused Don looks. It's like he's never seen me bef-

Whoa! I jump back slightly as Don tries to put as much distance between the two of us as possible. I guess he forgot about the wall behind him. He slams his shell into it and half throws the book of to the side while some other stuff crashes off the shelf. What the shell is his problem? Since when did Don start throwing books? And why does he look scared of me? Suddenly he bolts –I'd forgotten how fast those guys can be when they want to- knocks over a table and heads out the window. Talk about being rude. "Donnie! Wait! Come back here!"

Ooookkkkkaayyy… what was that all about?

"Casey?! Are you alright!? What happened?!" April's stopped on the stairs looking at the mess in the living room. I've got to go after Don. There's something seriously wrong with him. Why did he panic like that? And throwing a book? Don chewed me out for using one of his books as a pillow once, why would he just throw one on the floor like that?

I grab my golf bag and hockey mask heading for the window. "Casey?" April's at the foot of the stairs and she looking more confused and hopefully then I've seen her in days. "What happened? Why were you talking to Don? Was he here?" I can't just leave her hanging like this. I'll just have to give her a condensed version of what happened.

"I came out of the bedroom and Don was standing next to the bookcase, he saw me, flipped out and then just tore out the window like Shredder was after him. I'm going after him. Call the guys, tell them I'm going to follow him as best I can." I'm halfway out the window now. I just hope I can keep up with him. All of them can out run me if they're really trying to. I don't have the endurance that they do.

"Be careful!" Don't worry babe. I plan on being careful. I wonder what's wrong with Don anyways. Not that that's really going to do me much difference if I've already lost him. Hopefully I can still catch a glimpse of him so I have some idea of which way to go. By now he could be halfway to Lincoln Avenue.

Or he could be kneeling on the roof ten feet from the fire escape clutching his head which is exactly what he is doing. Is he sick or something? He's shivering and sweating at the same time. Even I know that's not a good thing. Is that why he ran away from me? He's sick? Judging by the way he's clutching at his head he's got one killer headache. I make sure to make noise as I walk up behind him. Sneaking up on a ninja is **never** a good idea unless you don't like your hand. Or face. They always go for the face for some reason. Don's not even reacting to me. I'm standing right here and he hasn't even moved an inch. I guess he's more out of it than I thought. I kneel down next to him and gently put my hand on his shoulder. "Donnie? Are you alright? What's wrong, buddy?"

I barely have a second to feel him flinch under my hand before he springs away from me like an overly taut spring. "Donnie! Come back!" Man, what is his deal? I scramble to my feet and give chase. I don't even want to think of what it would be like if I have to tell the guys that I saw Donnie -was even able to lay my hand on him- and then just turn around and lose him. I know they wouldn't blame me but I would still feel like and absolute heel around them. Kinda like one of those 'open mouth, insert foot' deals.

Don's practically sprinting to get away from me. I guess that I can count my blessings that Don's not as fast as Mikey is. At least I can pace myself, watch where he's going, and not waste all I have chasing him. I wonder why he's running so fast? Doesn't he realize all he's doing is tiring himself out more? He's not acting like Don would. Don would be trying to outmaneuver me rather then just run like crazy. Of course, Don wouldn't be running from me in the first place.

Shell. Spoke too soon. Don just went up a friggin' fire escape like he was a monkey instead of a turtle. Great. And here I was hoping that for once I could be chasing someone across the rooftops without having to go up the side of a building. Again. What is it with ninjas and doing all those weird gymnastics anyways? Is it like some kind of competition or something? If it was I bet it would be called like, 'most flashiest way to scale buildings', or something.

I'm so glad that the guys took the time to teach me how to go up the escapes like they do. Of course, it probably had something to do with not liking to wait for me to climb up the thing and leave them out in the open for long periods of time. Then came the fun of spending almost a week of trying to do that crazy flip thing they do and spend more time falling on Mikey then actually going anywhere. I gotta admit, it's great to know that I can scale the building faster than them just cause I'm taller and more flexible. I also don't have the added weight of a shell to slow me down.

Don's standing there just looking back and forth as if he's lost. Don lost? What's next, the sun's going to go out? Don's memorized every map of the city he could get his hands on -including those of the underground- and I know that from experience. He made me go get more then just a couple he had never been able to acquire in the junkyard before. I land easily next to him and stand fluidly like they taught me too. It has something about lessening the strain on my joints or something like that. I just know if I don't do it right it hurts like nothing else especially the next morning. Now time to find out-

Ow! He punched me! Don actually just punched me! What the fuc-

Oof! Ow… okay. That hurt. Wasn't I trying to make noise earlier so he wouldn't do something like this to me? Ah… man my back. I guess there are some benefits for having to carry around a shell like they do. Well, if I had that then April wouldn't be able to give me back rubs. Now there's a decision to make, protective shell or April's back rub. Back rub, any day.

Okay, Casey Jones, stop laying here staring at the sky and catch up with Don. Now I know that there is something seriously wrong with the egghead. Don wouldn't punch me like that. He knows me. He was acting more like Raph does. The whole hit first, ask questions later kind of mentality. Well, not really. The Raph mentality would have had him keep pounding the stuffing out of me until someone pulled him off me. Guess I should be grateful for small favors. Darn, I'm going to have such a bruise on my chest from his kick and I don't even want to think about what my face could look like. I guess I should be glad that I don't bruise very easily.

Now where the shell did he go? I do- THERE! Booyah! I'm not going to have to deal with a pissed off Raph, upset Leo or pitiful Mikey. That has to be the worst. Mikey's puppy eyes could melt even Hun's ice coated heart. I give myself a little extra burst of speed to make a jump from one roof to another when my cell starts vibrating in my pocket. Sweet, the cavalry is on their way. I pull the phone out and press it to my ear only to jerk it away when an overly concerned and full of pent up relief voice half yells through the speaker, "_WHERE_?!"

Ow, my ear. "He's heading down Main Street, Leo!" I half yelled that, hoping that Don would recognize Leo's name and stop. Judging from the look he gives me over his shoulder, all I did was scare him. Why the shell didn't he slow down at least? If he's scared of me what about Leo and the others? Will he freak around them too? I better tell them. "Leo, there's something really wrong with him."

"_What do mean, Casey_?" How did Mikey get the phone from Leo? Oh duh, they have three way calling. I forgot about that.

"_Is he hurt_?" Hmm… better make that four way calling. At least Raph is starting to sound like himself again.

"I don't think he's hurt but he's not acting like himself. He freaked when he saw me." I wish I had the time to pull out that little headset thing that Don installed but that would require me taking my eyes off Don and all ninjas can vanish in the blink of an eye even if they have both hands tied behind their backs and a chain holding them to the floor. I know, I've seen it happen. Or not as the case may be.

"_We all freak when we see you, bonehead_." Shell, I hadn't realize how much I missed the sarcasm in Raph's voice. And I haven't heard that or Mikey's laugh for over a week.

"_What do you mean by freaked_." At least Leo still sounds and acts like he always does more or less.

"He punched me and then kicked me in the chest." The line is completely silent for a moment and I can just imagine the guys are looking back and forth at each other doing that whole talking without words thing they can do.

"_Mikey, loop around and come in towards him from the west. Raph, come from the North. I'll take the East. Casey, keep following him but don't overtake him. We'll corner him and try to get him to calm down enough to talk to us_." How can Leo sound like he always has a plan for any situation that could possible pop up? I think the only thing that would throw him for a loop would be the Shredder wearing and apron and making cookies for all the homeless kids in the city. Huh, I so have to get Mikey to cartoon that one. It's priceless.

I didn't notice it before but Don's starting to slow down. I don't really know how much running he's going to be able to do for much longer. It looks like he's getting winded. How long was he running before he came to the apartment? Who grabbed him in the first place and why? He was missing for like a week with no word on him or anything and then he just stumbles in the window. It's a ten on the weirdness meter, that's for sure.

Whoa! Don suddenly cuts left and puts on a burst of speed as he heads for the edge of the building. Doesn't he know that's a straight drop to the highway?! Is he trying to get himself killed?! My heart leaps into my throat as he springs off the side of the roof. CRUD! HE REALLY DID JUMP?! HAS HE GONE INSANE?! Wait, how is he falling up? Oh, a tension wire was spanned across the road. He used that to make the leap to the other side. I watch as he stumbles slightly. At least he looks okay… calm down heart… don't leap out of my chest…

How am I supposes to keep tabs on him? I can't jump like that. I'm going to have to go down to street level, cross the road and than climb back up onto the roofs. I'm going to lose him. Shell, Raph's going to have my head. "Umm… Guys? I got a little problem?"

"_What happened_?" Great, Raph already sounds like he's going to rip me half 'cause I let Don get away. Tonight is just not my night.

"Don just went across Parkway. I'm going to lose him." Don's already vanished into the shadows over there. I turn and head for the fire escape. All I'm doing is wasting time standing around now. At least now I have a few seconds to put the headset on.

"_Don't worry. He just ran by me. He's heading up Third_." Go get him, Leo. Just watch out for his left hook, it's a doozey. "_I'm_ _going to try and talk to him_." Have fun with that Leo. Hopefully you'll have more luck at that than I did.


	4. Chapter 4: Don't Run Away

Disclaimer: Does anyone have any idea of how much money I would make if I did own them? That would be insane…

Author's Notes: Yeah… this took me forever to update. Sorry about that but I had several requests to finish Picking Up the Pieces before I continued with this story.

I missed one very important detail that was kindly pointed out to me by Quoth the Raven so the past three chapters have been revised and edited. You might want to go back and reread them if you haven't already

* * *

And the Pieces Fall Together

Chapter Four: Don't Run Away

* * *

He should have noticed me by now.

I've been following him for a while and he hasn't seemed to notice me. Donatello has always been good at telling if we were being followed. He always just seemed to know. He's never been able to explain how he can do it but, shortly after he calls our attention to it, the rest of us can tell we're being followed. It really is uncanny. So why hasn't he noticed me? Casey did say he was acting weird. Maybe this is part of the weirdness.

Finally, Don's noticed me… well he's actively looking around as if he's noticed something now. He hasn't seen me though. I'm standing right in the open yet he's looked over me twice. Yeah, I'm in the shadows but he should have noticed that there was something standing right here. I can't help but stand still watching him. He looks exactly like he did when he left the lair that night, minus his duffle bag. He seems tense, expectant. He shifts himself around so that his shell is to the wall he's crouching next to. He's still scanning the area around himself.

He's expecting a fight.

I know that body language anywhere. Don is getting ready to fight something but… what? I'm the only one on this rooftop with him. Is he getting all worked up over me? Don should know it's me. But he still hasn't noticed me. Casey was right, for Don, this behavior is anything but normal. He needs to calm down. Maybe if I show myself he'll relax a little bit.

I take a step towards him. Now he's noticed me. Why does he look surprised to see me? I watch as his eyes travel over me stopping to stare for a moment at my swords and then my eyes. He really does look confused. His brow wrinkle slightly as he continues to hold eye contact with me. I feel like one of his experiments or projects. It's like he's trying to figure me out by just staring at me. I need to know what's wrong with him. Why hasn't he said anything anyways? "Donnie, are you alright?" He blinks at me before frowning even harder and titling his head slightly to the side. Now I really do feel like an experiment. Maybe what Casey said was true and there really is something wrong with Don. "Casey said that you were acting weird." Now he's shaking his head with a look of total exasperation on his face. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"

I hint of anger flashes through his eyes as he gives me a minor glare that is full of exasperation rather than any actual anger. So now Don really is annoyed by something? I wonder what's gotten under his shell? He stands up, keeping his shell to the wall and his eyes on me. His body language has shifted ever so slightly. He's no longer shocked… If anything he seems a bit defensive. Why woul-"Npc rbv aelpxl xalpf Lcjehxi xb H fcbt tipw rbv'yl xprhcj?"

Wai-huh? WHAT? Did Don just make absolutely no sense? What language is he even speaking? I don't think I've ever heard anything even close to that before. It sounds like he's mixing up letters with no rhyme or reason. Is this why he did respond to me earlier? Does he even understand what I just said to him? It takes me a moment to collect enough of my wits together to pull together a single sentence and even that's hesitant. "Don, do… you even understand me?"

He sighs and beginnings rubbing at his temples. Does he have a headache? He's acting like it. "Mbc'w rbv jlw hw?" Maybe he hit his head really hard and forgot how to speak right? "H mbc'w ipul p nevl tipw rbv'yl xprhcj."

Oh shell, Donnie… I need to calm down and think for a moment. Don may not be able to understand me but he keeps looking over at my body. He's watching my body language. He's probably trying to pick up clues to what I'm saying by how I'm acting. If that's the case as long as I seem calm and non-threatening he should remain relatively calm too. Even if he doesn't understand me, the tone of my voice should also help to keep him calm. He seems overly tense still, like he's expecting an attack but he doesn't know where it's going to come from. I have to keep myself off the possible enemy list. I… I don't think Don remembers who I am.

I'm just about to try and sooth him when someone lands nearby. It's just Casey but… Don's definitely on the defensive now. I watch as he looks back and forth between the two of us, looking suspicious as he keeps tensing up. His head dips forward slightly as he shifts his weight up onto his toes. "H'd bcwb rbv wtb," he almost hisses. He's getting ready to fight us but… Why? He was defensive towards me before but not out right hostile. It has to do with Casey showing up. Casey did just chase him across town and Casey said Don attacked him. Does Don think Casey's an enemy or something? That could be a problem. I need to get him to calm down again so that maybe he'll understand that Casey is a friend. Don's left foot moves slides so that his toes are facing more to the left as his legs seem to tense up more. He's getting ready to run to the left. "Rbv'yl dbw jbhcj wb jlw dl wipw lpxher."

He bolts to the left with me right on his heels. I knew he was going to do that. "Hey!" Come on, Casey keep up.

Don's moving at top speed of the rooftops which is very unlike him. His movements almost seem erratic, like he's not one hundred percent certain as to where he's going. He's not trying to duck and weave to avoid us either. He's in a flat out foot race with us. Don… what the shell is wrong with you? First it was the speech, then not recognizing me, and now not acting like he normally would. What has happened to him?

There's a burst of static over my headset, "_Dude, what's with the race?_"

It's Mikey. Good. He can stop Don from running away long enough for me to get him to calm down. I jump after Don as he lands on the roof below us. "Mikey, get in front of him and cut him off. He's panicky so be ready. You might have to restrain him." Don glances back at the sound of my voice. He still doesn't seem to recognize us. I think him looking back at me was more to see if he could tell what I was saying instead of trying to figure out who I am.

Don seems to glance off to the side before looking over his shoulder again at Casey and me. What was he looking at? There! Who? Oh Mikey. Mikey jumps out in front of Don ready to grab him as he runs past only to catch him as Don slides into his chest. Why did Do- Who put marbles on the roof?! Oh, it's just gravel but still. I can't stop myself as I plow into Don's shell. Mikey grunts and I feel him stumbles backwards slightly from the force of the hit. At least we didn't end u-

Unh! Casey! Shell! Ow… I never realized how heavy Casey was. For a moment no one moves as we lay there in a pile of turtles and human. I'm still trying to figure out why exactly the rooftop is covered in gravel. Either Mikey or Don starts to move which seems to jostle the rest of us into moving. What the shell? I feel like I'm glued down to Don's shell?! "Casey! Get off!"

"Yeah, you guys are heavy!"

"At least I can get up when I'm flat on my shell!"

"Then why aren't you getting up?"

"I'm trying!"

"Why are you trying? Just do it!"

These two are going to give me a headache.

"Like I said I'm trying to! It's not my fault Leo's swords are pinching the strap on my bag!"

"What?!" I try and look over my shoulder to see what he's talking about. I can't see anything except his hands fumbling with something about where the two scarabs cross on my shell. "How the shell did it get stuck?"

"I don't know! But I can't get it free!" He jerks suddenly which lifts and slams me down onto Don's shell.

A cough comes from below, "I knew I shouldn't have eaten that last slice…"

Don's still trying to wiggle free but Mikey seems to be trying to hold his arms still. I grab the lip of his shell to help hold Don down as my other hand reaches back to try and free whatever is catching at Casey's golf bag. The fabric of the strap seems to be caught between the folds in the leather. How the shell… If I lean back I should be able to free it up enough fro Casey to yank it free. "Casey! On three! One…Two…Three!" I lean back at the same time he jerks backwards. There's the sound of tearing fabric and then I'm on top of Casey staring up at the dark sky.

"Oh man," he mutters as I sit up. "I'm going to have to get a new golf bag."

"Donnie!" Shell! Don's off and running again with Mikey's already after him as I jump to my feet and sprint to catch up. Casey says a derogatory word which I ignore as I run up along side Mikey. Don's breathing hard. I can hear him from here as he pants to bring oxygen into his lungs. He's glancing down at the street below as he clutches at his side. Did he hurt it? The only good thing is he's starting to slow down a bit. Maybe we can catch up to him now and force him to stop. Don glances down at the road again. Why does he keep looking down there?

Oh no… He's not going to do what I think he is… Is he?

SHELL! "Donatello! Don't!" He jumped, oh shell, he jumped. What the shell is he thinking?! I almost jump after him but at the last second stop myself. There's no way I would have been able to catch up to him in freefall and get a line out to keep us both from hitting the pavement. Please have a plan in your head, Donnie. Please. I hold my breath as he loses his balance on the trailers roof and starts rolling end over end towards the back of it. Come on… catch yourself… catch yourself… At the last second his able to stop himself from rolling complete of the end of the trailer. I don't dare let out the breath I'm holding until he pulls his legs up onto the trailer. Alright, now I can breathe a little easier. He's safe. Thank shell.

"Holy crud…" My thoughts exactly Casey. We're not going to be able to catch up to that trailer anytime soon. I thought the speed limit through here was twenty five not fifty. Still, we've got to catch up to Don somehow. I won't lose him again.

Luckily, we have one last option to use. I push the call button on my headset. Hopefully Raph will be able to intercept the truck. "Raph? Where are you?"

It takes a moment for his voice to drift over the speaker in my ear. "_Coming up the street. I'll be there in a second._"

"Raph, have you passed a semi coming up the road yet?"

"_No, I'm just about to pas- Whoa! Donnie?!_"

"He gave us the slip after jumping off a building, Raph. Keep up with him." All I get is a grunt in return. Not that I was expecting much more than that but… I can't let Donnie take a risk like he just did. Jumping off a building onto a moving truck is dangerous enough when done from a two story building but a five? Does he realize how close he came to getting himself killed? I force myself to take a breath to calm my mind down. I can't believe I'm going to do this… "Raph… I don't care what you have to do but don't let Don get away from you." I ignore the looks Mikey and Casey are giving me. I'm not too thrilled about this either.

"_Leo… you mean…_"

"Yes, Raph, I mean it," as much as I don't want to. "Drug him, tie him up, knock him out, I don't care as long as you catch him. Just… Don't hurt him too badly." It's silent from the other end for a moment before I heard a very determined 'gottcha' from Raph. At least he understands where I'm coming from. Mikey, on the other hand, looks livid at what I just said.

"Leonardo! How the shell could you say that?! And did Raphael just agree with you?!"

You can tell Mikey's mad when he starts using full names. "Mikey calm down and listen to me," he really doesn't look too interested in listening to anyone right about now but he's holding his tongue and waiting for me to explain myself. I'm so glad that Mikey always hears us out when we do something out of the ordinary. "What Donatello just did was stupid and near suicidal. He's desperate to get away from us and he's going to keep doing stunts like that till he gets himself killed." I break off with a sigh. Mikey looks upset but I can see the understanding in his eyes. "I don't like this anymore than you do Mikey. But now that were so close to getting him back I refuse to let him kill himself trying to get away from us."

It's silent for a moment as Mikey and I just stare at each other. I don't think either of us are happy about this but at least he seems to understand where I'm coming from now. "Are we just going to stand around or are we going to go after Raph and Don?" I glance at Casey to see he's looking more determined then ever. "Yeah," I look at Mikey only to find him looking at anything but me. He really isn't happy about what I told Raph. I'm going to check again and make sure he understands where I'm coming from later. "Let's go." Mikey just nods his head and turns to start running along the rooftops without even looking at me. Yeah, I'm definitely going to talk to him.

"_Yo, Leo_."

"Yeah, Raph?"

"_Don's jumped off the semi. He's in the alley across from the construction site on Fifth. I'm going after him_."

"Alright, just-" Words fail me as I swallow harshly. I still can't believe I-

"_I know Leo. Don't worry. He's not going to get away from me. I'll be gentle._" Please, don't let him get away from you Raph. If he's jump off a building already I don't want to think of what he'll do next and -more importantly- if he'll survive it.


	5. Chapter 5: I've Got Him

Disclaimer: Does anyone have any idea of how much money I would make if I did own them? That would be insane…

Author's Notes: Wow, has it been a long time since I've worked on this. Hopefully, I've still got the knack for writing the turtles in the first person. Though I do apologize, I am not going to try and go overboard figuring out how to type Raph's accent. Deal.

And here's a shout out for you, Sparrow9. Everyone should say 'Thank you!' for getting me to write and post this. Finally.

I also went through and did a _really quick_ proof read on the previous four chapters. Nothing big, just changed around some words and fixed the more obvious mistakes. I'll have to go over it later when I have more time.

* * *

And the Pieces Fall Together

Chapter Five: I Got Him

* * *

"I know Leo. Don't worry. He's not going to get away from me. I'll be gentle." I didn't say anything to make Leo worry any more than he already is but it's going to be hard to not accidentally hurt him if Don does decides to get into a fight with me. It's not like I'm rough on purpose, it's just that there are times that I don't know my own strength. I don't mean to break all the equipment in the dojo or the dishes sometimes. It just… happens…

I flip the phone closed with one hand and tuck it away into my belt as I continue along the rooftops, making sure I'm out of sight. Just in case. I know Don is paranoid enough that he's watching the rooftops to make sure he's not being followed. All I have to do is periodically check over the edge every so often –like now- and make sure he's still sitting on the big rig. It would just be my turtle's luck for him to seemingly vanish while I'm tailing him across the rooftops.

I run close enough to the edge so that I can just peer over it at the truck and Don. The former race car driver now trucker is slowing down enough to make the upcoming turn and it looks like Don is getting ready to jump ship for the last alley before the turn. Hopefully, he can stick the landing when he jumps for the alley. I have to admit it would make it easier to catch him if he knocked himself silly for a moment or two. As long as he isn't actually hurt doing that it'll probably be the best way to catch him.

He makes the leap right as the truck slows down so it can make the turn without rolling. Well, looks like he managed to land safely in the alley but I don't like how he just crouches down for a moment. Is he hurt? He seems to be getting unsteadily to his feet again. He's holding his side as if it's bugging him. I wonder if he had that before we started chasing him or if it's something that happened while he was missing. So help the poor shell-fer-brains that hurt him after I catch up to him…

It's easy enough to jump across the road with a tension line. I crouch down on the ledge overlooking the alley Don's hiding in and watch as he moves tentatively down the alley to hide next to a dumpster. He's watching the entrance of the alley like that's where he expects someone to come from. Geez… his mind really has to be scrambled. He hasn't even looked up once. In this town, up is usually where the sudden surprise is going to come from.

Hopefully, he'll be too startled from seeing me that he won't get a chance to try and run again.

I move silently onto the fire escape and begin to make my way down it. If I can get a grip on him before he tries to bolt there is no way Don will be able to out muscle me to keep running. I'll just pin him down till he wears himself out trying to get free or until Leo and them decide to show up. If he does get a chance and makes a break for it, I'll have to catch him in the first couple feet. Don and I are evenly matched in speed but he can run further then I can. I'll just have to make sure I grab him first.

Judging on how he's all hunched over on himself, I don't think that Donnie's going to be in any shape to start running anywhere. I'm not even halfway down the fire escape and I can hear him gasping for breath from up here. He must have been running as hard as he could trying to get away from Leo, Casey and Mikey. Either that or the adrenaline is still pumping after he jumped off the semi. He could be sick…

As I climb down the fire escape I listen to his breathing. Shell, he's making enough noise to wake up everyone on the street. Now that I'm thinking of it, he's breathing is hitched. It's like he can't take a deep breath. I stop halfway down the building and look him over from that distance. He's not as much crouched down next to the dumpster as much as he's kneeling and curled around his arm which is holding his stomach. Maybe he is going to be sick? Or is there something wrong with his ribs? He's still panting too. And his breaths are really close together. Oh great… please tell me he's not going to hyperventilate on me. It might just be easier to knock him out now before he even gets the chance to see me.

A sai is in my hand and I have it drawn back to throw. I can easily hit the side of his head from here and the knuckle should be able to knock him out without hurting him other than giving him a minor headache when he wakes up. Okay, I gotta do this. It's for his own good… aw, shell… I can't do it. I can't knock him out like this. What if he's hit his head already and has a concussion that I don't know about? Another hit to the head could put him in a coma. Or it could… I tuck the sai back into my belt and start down again. Guess I'm just going to do this the old fashion way.

I stop on the lowest platform as Don turns his head doing another sweep of the alley. He should know I'm here by now. It's not like I'm trying to hide or anything. I'm sitting right in the middle of the platform. If he looked up he would easily see me but he seems to think that anyone following him is going to be on the ground. I think about the only thing that attacks us on the ground anymore are the Purple Dragons and we're too close to Casey's neighborhood for those creeps. Now how am I supposed to get over to the other side of the alley without him seeing and running from me? I wish he had hid underneath the fire escape rather than over next to the dumpster.

Oh shell, don't even think of going into that manhole, Don. If he gets into the sewers it's going to be a pain tracking him down again. Scratch that. It'll be next to impossible to find him. There are so many twists and turns down there, not to mention all the side tunnels and cubby holes. If you don't know your way around down there it is so easy to get lost and I doubt Don knows his way out of a paper bag right now. There's no way he'll be able to find his way around down there. I better grab him before he even tries to go over to the manhole cover.

The minute my feet hit the pavement, Don snaps his head towards me and stares me down. He's still crouched down on the ground so at least I know he isn't going to try and take off running anytime soon. Actually, if I was to guess, I would say that Don looks… scared? Why is Don scared of me? I wouldn't hurt him. Is this why he ran from the others? Is he scared of us?

Talk about mood swings. As I watch, the fear just seems to melt off his face as we stare at each other. He lets out a little sigh and with it the tension drain from his shoulders. He's still crouched down on the ground but he has his weight back onto his heels now instead of the balls of his feet. He's not going anywhere now, at least not without shifting all his weight forward again and I'll notice that. It'll be easy for me to grab and restrain him before he gets a chance to go anywhere.

I stand slowly and approach him. No sense in spooking him. If I can just get close enough to pin him down, it's over. There's no way Don will be able to wriggle free. I just have to make sure that I don't hurt him anymore then he obviously already is. He rocks forward onto his toes but instead of making a diving lunge to make a break for it he slowly stands up bracing his shell against the wall behind him. He uncertain judging by the way his shoulders are slightly hunched and he seems to be watching my every movement like a hawk. Just stand still Don. Don't even think of running. Just a little- got him. Well, all I have is a good grip on his arm but he doesn't seem interested in going anywhere right now. He's relaxed against the wall now with his eyes closed. Shell, what happened to him? Who did this and what did they do? I can't wait till I find out…

Wha-

Shell.

Talk about bad timing.

The Foot! Why the shell did they have to show up now anyway? Shell, they always seem to know when the best time for them –the worst times for us- to strike is. It's like they got some kind of sixth sense about it. I feel the bicep I'm holding onto tense up and I take a quick glance back at Don. Now he looks even more afraid. Wait… they did this. I should have known. The Foot screwed up Don. So much for Leo's supposed 'cease fire' talk with Karai. Man, what I wouldn't give for going a round or two with those pajama wearing pixies, but I have a much more important geek to look after. If I can get him down into the sewers, it'll be easy to lose those ninja wanna-be's, I just don't think that Don will like me dragging him around for a while. If I had too, I guess I could throw him over my shoulder and make a break for it but I doubt that would feel very good on his rib-

Crud! "Shell, Donnie!" Great. Just great. What else could go wrong? And why did I have to think that? Now something else is going to go wrong.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Why the shell didn't I think of him ducking under my grip and making a break for it. I should have been ready for something like that. Sneaky little techno geek. I can be such a trusting idiot sometimes…

Not that I'll ever admit that out loud…

Shell, did I mention that Donnie can out run me?

The sneaky little snot is already on the other side of the road and I'm just leaving the alley. At least the Foot are just as far behind him as I am. If they are the guys who hurt him, they are so dead once I get Don out of here. Presuming I can catch the little genius now. Oh crud, don't you dare-

He vaulted the fence.

He vaulted the friggin' fence!

I should've known he would do something like that. Just this once I wish he would not think and just run himself into a corner or something. Now I'm going to have to try and find him before the Foot does in that maze of a construction site. Oh, ow. It sounds like Don screwed up his landing. Maybe he'll be dazed enough for me to get over the fence? Maybe? Speaking of the fence…

I put on an extra burst of speed as I pull my sais out. I swear if I pull something doing this I'm going to wring that little geek's neck later. Now I just have to plant my foot on the wall and get as high as I can and… now! I slam both sais into the planking and – oops, I didn't mean for them to go through the wall but I can work with it. I pull one sai out and pushing up with my foot I slam it through the wood against. Man, they pick cheap materials for this fence. Pull, push, thud. Shell, I am going to pull something at this rate. At least I only have a few more to go and then I just have to deal with the barbed wire. Piece of cake.

I pull myself up so I'm face level with the wire and, using my sai, I start peeling it off to the side. Yeah, the owners of this site definitely need to spend more in the protection of their construction site. A three year old could break in here no problem. It looks like I have an audience too. At least Don is staying put for now at the base of the stairs. I should be able to catch up to him no problem now that I don't have this stupid fence in my way.

Shell, spoke to soon. Don's running up the staircase. There has got to be an easier way to chase him down. Little punk… I start towards the stairs that lead further up the tower or whatever the shell they're building. Man, that's a long way up. At least Don's slowed down some. He's favoring his leg, I bet he did that in his jump- Oh shell! The Foot are up there. Figures they can't just bug off like good little insects. Well, not that there are any good insects…

And of course someone would have to call.

I'm taking the stairs two at a time as I run up them. I probably should answer that before it vibrates right out of my belt. "What?!" I snarl as I turn on the landing and head up the next set of stairs. Where the shell did he get to all of a sudden?

"_Raph?_" Now is not the time for a check in, fearless. "_Did you get him?_"

"Not quite, he's run up the construction site on Fourth and Chestnut."

"_We're just down the street from you. We'll be there in a minute._"

I would have answered but from somewhere up above me I hear a pained cry. Those friggin' shell-fer-brains' are so _**DEAD**_! "Better make it fast, Leo. The Foot just found him first!" I hang up. There's no sense in giving Leo the details when he's so close to finding out first hand. Besides getting those bug-eyed halfwits away from Donnie is more important than telling Leo everything I don't know. I just hope they're on the next level up or so.

I love it when I'm right.

They've cornered Don, but he already has his hands up and ready to keep going at it. I don't see his bo anywhere, one of the foot freak's must've knocked it out of his hands. Heh, the Foot aren't as dumb as they look, they're staying back away from Don. Never thought that they would be smart enough to realize that, out of all of us, Don's is one of the best at hand to hand. Hey, I'm good at laying out a good thumping too, but Don's got more of the finesse. I slink closer towards Don's position making sure no one knows I'm there. I want to get the drop on the Foot and the last thing I need is for Don to try and bolt on me again. I'm so focused on Don that I almost didn't see the ninja put a dart into the back of the blow gun but then I'm too busy moving to really worry about anything else. Just get myself between Don and them and get the fragging dart…there we go. A little twirling sai action is all that is needed to brush that dart of course.

And now the Foot are really on edge.

Like they should be.

I can feel a growl begin to grow in the back of my throat as I grip my sai tightly and snarl at them. A little hunch of the shoulders and baring of teeth get them nervous and they start drawing their swords. Huh, fifteen against one? Not even a real challenge for me usually, but I need to keep them off of and away from Don too. That could be a problem. Really don't want to have the shell kicked out of me trying to protect Don, again. Doesn't mean I won't do it, I won't even hesitate, but I really don't like it.

They will not lay another finger on Don

And here's the cavalry, took them long enough to get here. I push Don back away from the Foot. Leo or Mikey can keep an eye on him, I've been waiting for this. I can finally get back at them, they took Don, they hurt him. Now, they're going to pay.

I'm so going to enjoy this…

I lunge forward at the same time they do. Stupid idiots. When are they going to learn to run away? It's a lot easier than getting your butt kicked by a ninja turtle. Though I'm not complaining about the stress relief these guys provide.

I twist my sai and rip the ninja's sword right out of his hand, punching the knuckle of my other sai into his gut. Shell… have I been waiting for this way too long. It feels good. One, two, three, four punches right in a row. Idiot's young, he's left himself wide open. I punch him hard enough to launch him over one of his friends. It's the best distraction technique in the world. His friend's too busy dodging his body to even worry about me. You'd think these guys would learn after a while. I knee him in chin to make sure he gets the point this time.

Three Foot suddenly jump over me but I don't get a chance to turn and check on Don before I have a new goon in my face. These guys are really starting to piss me off. I block the sweep kick and get a quick jab to the chin while I block it. The jab didn't hurt but that _punk_ is so going to get it now. "Don't worry, Don. Stay here." Mikey's back with Don, good. He'll take care of him while I put this guy down.

I gotta admit, this guy pretty good for a run of the mill ninja thug. He blocks two strikes and manages to mostly dodge my side kick. I just barely graze his thigh, just enough to throw him off balance which allows me get a solid hit in on his gut, doubling him over. I'm distracted from my… toy by a loud crash behind me, figures Casey needs his butt saved. He really has a hard time fighting Foot ninjas, Purple Dragons no problem. Ninjas... if he can't surprise them then he's road kill. I crack the guy in front of me over the head before he can get his breathing back. Party's over for him.

Slag, another goon is right here, I know there were only fifteen here when we started. Did they have enough time to call for back up? Nah, way too soon. I block a punch and glance in Casey's direction to see him shakily getting back to his feet. Good, he- Oh Frag! Why the shell is Donnie fighting! Where's Mikey?! He shouldn't be fighting while he's hurt. I can hear him wheezing from over here, for cryin' out loud. I growl at the guy in front of me and he actually pauses –just freezes up- not that I'm complaining too loudly. Now to get over to Don and get him-

"DON!"

Don's collapsed and that fragging shellhead is trying to run off with him! Not on my watch! "Don't even think about it!" I yell as I flip my sai up and grab the tip. It's all in the wrist really. A quick flick is all it takes to nail that Foot ninja right in the temple. He drops like a bag of rocks right next to where Leo is dealing with his opponent. Leo drops his sword, ignoring the guy he was fighting to grab Don's shoulder and prevents him from hitting the rooftop too hard. The ninja tries to take advantage of Leo's distraction but I more than happy to throw my other sai, dropping him like a sack of potatoes, similar to his friend.

And just like that, the roof is empty.

I look around again just to make sure that they are all down before looking over to where Leo is kneeling over Don. "Oevl?" What the shell was that? Whatever was in that dart really had to have screwed Don up if he can't even talk right. Mikey's on his other side taking his hand, he dropped his 'chucks over where he was fighting. Bonehead. Not that I blame him. I'm kneeling next to Don before I'm even realize I'm moving, batting Leo's hands out of the way to check him over.

Vitals are good, pupil's dilated, yup, definitely drugged. Bruising on his right side, ribs are either busted or they're bruised pretty bad. Ankle's swelling, probably from his vault over the fence when he screwed up his landing. Hope he didn't kick anyone with it screwed up like this. That's just going to make it worst.

"I… Is he okay, Raph?" Mikey's voice is a little unsteady and I can feel Leo trying to burn a hole through the side of my head as he waits for the answer too.

"Yeah, a little banged up and drugged but he'll be okay." It's hard to believe, after all our looking, searching, we've finally got him back.

"Hey, guys," Casey says softly. "I don't mean to break up the happy reunion or anything… but shouldn't we get somewhere safer and not standing out here wait for the Foot to show up?"

He's right, for once. The sooner we get him home, the sooner I can get him patched up. I shuffle to one side and slide my hands under his shoulders and knees. Mikey lets go of him reluctantly as I stand. Leo's watching me critically. "You sure you got him?"

"Yeah Leo, I got him."

And there's no way in shell I'm letting go anytime soon.

"I got him."


	6. Chapter 6: Home at Last

Disclaimer: Does anyone have any idea of how much money I would make if I did own them? That would be insane…

Author's Notes: Sorry about the massive delay in posting. This chapter absolutely refused to be written. Seriously, I think completely rewrote it several times but it's finally done. Hopefully the rest of this story won't be nearly as painful.

* * *

And the Pieces Fall Together

Chapter Six: Home at Last

* * *

I am not a runner, never have been and I never will be. I can sprint -anyone can sprint- but being able to string out your energy for long periods of time and to stay at the same pace? Nope. I can't do that. Give me a bike any day. My kingdom for a bike. However, I don't think I could navigate a bike through the sewers no matter how well I know it. I guess I am out of luck.

Still, even if I had to run several thousand miles, I'd do it just for this. They found him. Donatello is still alive. I was beginning to think that we would never figure out what had happened to him. That he was lost to us forever. I don't think that I will ever be able to admit that to anyone. Even Casey. It was too close to becoming a reality as it was.

It's second nature moving through these tunnels. I don't even think of it as I hop over a puddle that's been there since I first started coming down this way. I barely even notice the smell anymore, a combination of mildew and mold. It's only when I first enter the sewers through the secret access the turtles made in the basement that I even notice the hint of raw sewage anymore. The whole trip seemed to fly by and before I knew it, I was at the door to the lair, waiting impatiently for it to open.

Master Splinter was waiting at the foot of the stairs, drooping slightly when he realized it was me, but the joy that had been missing from his eyes was back again. I hadn't realized how much I had missed it. He smiled at me as I panted, "I thought you were working more on your endurance, Miss O'Neil."

"Still need to work on it," I managed to get out in one breath as I walked down the staircase to join him. I think I may have pulled something. "It's better than it was."

The old rat hummed knowingly, "I will have to take your word for it."

I didn't know what else to say or even what could be said. We both stood there, looking up at the doorway, waiting in the suffocating silence for the four turtles and Casey to come through the door. All four of them.

I am trying to be patient but it's hard. I kept shifting back and forth and glancing over at the clock even thirty seconds or so. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and the aching muscles in my legs did nothing to help improve my mood. I try several focusing on my breathing, forcing myself to calm down like Splinter showed me.

Speaking of Splinter, I'm surprised that he doesn't seem excited or anything. He's just standing there, breathing normally and acting like this sort of thing happens all the time. I guess that he is use to waiting for them to come home. As far as I know, he's only left the lair to go with them a handful of times and usually that was only during really dangerous missions that almost always involved dealing with the Shredder.

I need to get my mind off this. I need to distract myself from looking at the clock so much. Think, April, think. What can you think about that will distract you from all this?

Even though I was trying to think of anything but what was happening, I couldn't help but relive the past few days. I had spent most of it glued to the computer, searching the net and media sites trying to find any clues that would lead to where Donnie was. I couldn't even remember the number of times that Casey would be hovering over me trying to convince me to eat something or to get some rest. It was so sweet of him because I know that I wasn't the easiest person to look after. I can be downright stubborn and that's putting it mildly.

I'll have to do something special for him later.

I thought that he had fallen asleep on the couch and had woken up having a dream or something when I had heard him first shout about Donnie. I couldn't believe it was real even after I heard the loud thump which turned out to be a thrown book and Casey calling for him to come back. I think my jaw was on the stairs as he grabbed his hockey bag and mask while telling me to call the guys. I was barely even able to call out for him to be careful before I was rushing back up the stairs to the computer desk where I had left my phone.

Talk about a whirlwind conversation, I don't think I even gave Leo a chance to say 'hello' before I was talking, "Leo! Donatello was just here! Casey's chasing him, he said something about Donatello panicking and running away!" At least that's what I think I said. Leo barely even responded to me, yelling for Mikey and Raph to join him as they left the lair to catch up with Casey and Don.

I had stood there in the apartment for a moment wondering what to do before I was heading for the door. I knew that the guys would take him home, back to the lair, and there was a chance that Raph might need my help. Donnie was still in the process of teaching him how to use everything in the little medical ward he had made in the corner of his lab.

Besides, I wanted to see him.

Splinter suddenly stood more upright next to me. I turned my head to look at him only to have the door to the lair open. Mikey came scampering in, trying to look behind him while not tripping over himself, and right behind him came Raphael, carrying Donnie draped over his arms. Casey and Leo brought up the rear but I was barely paying them any attention other than to make sure they were alright as I looked over Donnie as best as I could.

He's home at last.

He's breathing wrong. I could tell by the way his breath seemed to hitch slightly with every inhale. Something is wrong with his ribs. It didn't appear to be anything to serious from just that quick look but it was enough to know that it wasn't serious. Donatello was alive and back again.

Oh crap, my eyes are watering up.

"My son," Master Splinter is reaching for Donnie even as Raph carries him down the stairs and brings him right up to him. Raph even stoops slightly so it's easier for Splinter to see him. He looks like he's asleep. "My son," oh Splinter… I'm going to cry at this rate.

"Mikey, grab the first aid kit off the bench," Raphael said softly as everyone gathers around him and Donnie. "I'm going to put him on the couch."

I step aside, even though it is reluctantly, to allow Raph to pass me. Master Splinter steps off to his side but keeps pace with him as he heads for the couch in the living room. I can't take my eyes off them as Raph navigates around the armchair and the end of the sofa. I can't believe he is really back.

An arm over my shoulders finally breaks the odd daze I found myself in. Casey is looking at me concerned even as he pulls me closer to him in a one armed hug. With his free hand he wipes at the tears I hadn't realized were tracing down my face. "Are you okay babe?" he asks me softly as he stares into my eyes. God do I love his eyes.

"I'm just," I rub at my eyes a bit before looking back up at him. "I'm just so glad he's alright."

Casey has that look on his face that just screams that there's something he's not telling me. It's all in the way he quirks his eyebrows and can't look me in the eyes anymore. "Casey?"

"There is something wrong with him, April," Leo finally says from where he is standing next to us. I had almost forgotten that he was there watching us. "He appears to be suffering from amnesia and there's something wrong with his speech."

Now that doesn't sound good. I twist away from Casey rather reluctantly. I had been in such a rush to leave that I hadn't grabbed a jacket and while I love this tank top dearly it is not very warm. I'm going to have to see if there's an extra sweatshirt or tee shirt down here somewhere. "Amnesia?"

"He didn't recognize us at all," There's enough frustration in his voice that it wouldn't surprise me if Leo was somehow trying to figure out a way to blame himself for Donatello's memory loss. "About the only one who had any luck getting near him was Raph and even that was short lived."

There are so many things that could cause memory loss. I step out of the way slightly as Mikey hurries for the couch with an ice pack in his hands. Donatello's subconscious could be trying to protect him from a traumatic event or he could have been hit really hard on the head or maybe a form of memory suppressing drug. Oh please let it not be that. I wouldn't even have an idea of where to start looking. If it comes down to that I might be able to get a small sample from his blood but that will only give me an idea of what type of drug it is and there is a high chance that his body has already broken down a good part of the medication only leaving the affects.

Okay, slow down April and start at the beginning. I look up from where I had been staring blankly at the floor and let the hand that had been holding my chin lightly fall away. "What's wrong with his speech?" That may be a clue as to what happened to him.

"The words are all messed up, like he's speaking a different language or something," Odd but then Casey said something about that earlier too.

"It's no language I've ever heard," Leonardo frowns.

If there are problems with memory and speech there is a really high chance that Donatello suffered from some kind of blunt force trauma to the head. I spin on my heel and start for the couch. If Donatello is suffering from a concussion then we need to check on him now.

Raphael has come a long way in regards to his medical training. He's already wrapped Donatello's ribs and is holding up Donnie's ankle while Mikey packs pillows underneath it to help it stay elevated. The ice pack that had been in his hand earlier was wrapped in a hand towel loosely tied around Donnie's ankle.

I smile at him -not that he was really paying any attention to me- and then look over Donnie's head for anything out of the ordinary. I'm not seeing anything but that could hardly mean anything. I'm just about to reach up to start running my fingers over Don's skull when Raph speaks up.

"I already checked. Whatever is wrong with him it ain't from a concussion."

I should have figured that Raph had already checked him over. I nod my head, "And what about his eyes?"

Raph huffed at me but continued regardless of what he was thinking. "Rolled back in his head. Don's been given some hard knocks but it's nothing that is life threatening. His most serious injuries are the cracked ribs and sprained ankle."

He didn't say anything about Don's amnesia or inability to speak correctly. He didn't have too. That was something that was going to take a bit of research to figure out what was wrong with him. Especially since whatever was wrong with him must have come from something else like a drug. I am not looking forward for the amount of bookwork this is shaping up to be.

I head towards Don's lab and the small research area right outside of it. This is going to be a daunting task, never mind the fact that I'm not even sure where to begin, I don't know how the various human medicines would react with a mutated turtles DNA. I know Don has to modify penicillin and morphine so that it actual works with their genetic codes but I'm really not sure what he does. Maybe that's why Don isn't making any sense. It might be a side effect.

I start grabbing at every book on the shelf on medical procedures, biology and turtle physiology. I didn't realize that Leo had followed me over to the book shelf but he silently offered his help, taking the books from my hands and stack them up in the crook of his arm. I can practically feel how much he wants to help and I can feel how upset he is knowing he can't do anything to help.

He follows me back to the table like a lost puppy. It's daunting to know that I am the best hope that Donatello has to getting better. I wish that Honeycutt or Leatherhead were around. They could at least help me piece together this jigsaw puzzle. Wish I knew where they were or even how to get a hold of them and ask for help. I think that Don said something about them being back at the end of the month from their sojourn into space with the Utroms. I wish it was sooner. I don't know much of anything about the mutagen. I don't understand how the chemicals in that stuff changed them to what they are. I don't even know if I'm just going to make this worse by trying to be helpful. I could possible kill…

I force myself to take a deep breath as I reach for the first book Leo set on the table next to me. Maybe it's something physical. I may just be jumping to conclusions. I need to slow down and think. Don's counting on me. His family is counting on me. I need to be careful and think through everything that I can before acting on it.

It's what Donatello would do.

-Break-

I feel like I have read each and every one of these books cover to cover at least twice by now and I don't have a clue of what could be wrong with Donnie. Everything that I can find in the turtle anatomy book is saying that sick turtles should be taken to a veterinarian for treatment. That really doesn't help me but I doubt that anyone has had to deal with a turtle suffering from amnesia and an unknown drug.

I know that Don figured out how to give out meds to him and his brothers but I don't know how he modifies it. Neither does Raph. He can tell me where they all are but Donnie was the only one who 'fixed that stuff up' for them to use. Wish he had wrote down what he did to things before he used them.

"Donatello, my son, do you hear me?" Did I just hear Master Splinter right? Donnie's awake? "Donatello? April, Donatello is awake. How do you feel my son?"

I've barely even stood up off the stool I have been perched on for the past several hours before a scream of pure fear rings throughout the lair. I freeze and watch as Don struggles against the blankets he's wrapped in and then up he's up and over the back of the couch watching Splinter worriedly. He really does have amnesia. Poor Master Splinter, he looks heart broken.

"Donnie," Leo looks lost which is not an expression that I'm use to seeing on his face. Donatello is looking at him and I can't help but feel my dismay grow. His eyes hold nothing of the kind warmth that Don use to have. He looks more like he's sizing Leo up and gauging him as a potential threat or not. He turns that same calculating gaze on Casey. This is horrible. I shift slightly on the stool. He doesn't even know he's safe.

My movement attracted his gaze to me but instead of sizing me up, he looks confused. That doesn't last long before he gets this almost dopey eyed look as he stares at me. Maybe seeing me has triggered some kind of memory? "Do you know who I am, Don?"

He stares at me for a moment longing before his expression changes to wary and curious. He looks around the lair as if seeing it for the first time. "Definitely amnesia."

"Told you," Dammit Casey, now is not the time to play the 'I told you so game'.

After I had shot Casey an annoying glare, I go back to watching Don. He definitely isn't showing any recognition of the lair or of Mikey as his brother gives him some water to drink. It hurts to see that Don is actually defensive around him. That's his little brother. His only little brother. It's not right…

Speaking of not being right, "Mikey, can you get him to say something? I want to hear this scrambled language he's speaking."

"Gottcha, April." It would figure that Mikey would do charades to 'talk' to Donatello. Doesn't look like Donnie has a clue of what he is trying to say. He finishes the glass of water and studies Mikey's movements. It reminds me of all the times that I walked into his lab when he was working on some kind of delicate electronic that required all his focus and attention. It's a small glimmer of hope that the Don we know isn't completely lost. "Talk, Don. April wants to hear you talk."

There is a moment of silence before Mikey looks over at me apologetically, "Any ideas? I'm open to suggestions." I'm really not sure of what else could work. Even though it looks odd, charades are probably our be-

Leo sighs as he turns to me, "Like I was saying earlier, his words are messed up, like the letters are all jumbled together somehow. I could try and duplicate them but I do-

"Mb rbv fcbt tipw H'd xprhcj?" What the hell? Is that what Leo is talking about? "Gvmjhcj xybd rbvy lsaylxxhbc wipw'x nbw jbhcj wb tbyf." And now he's rubbing at his head like he used to do when he had a headache coming on. Is talking somehow hurting him more?

"My son…" Poor Master Splinter. I can only imagine what he is going through right now. I'm upset enough that I am fighting tears and Don is only a good friend. I wish there was something more that I could do to help him –help everyone in this unorthodox family- get through this easier.

There is one thing I can do. I can figure out what is wrong with him and how best to treat him. Hopefully I can find a treatment that will restore him to normal again. "Okay, so he's not speaking in another language," I'm thinking out loud as I pull the only book that could have a possible answer towards me. There is something mentally wrong with him, almost as if part of his brain isn't communicating correctly to another part. It's possible, but I don't know enough about the brain to be able to piece together what it may be. This book on the neuroscience should at least give me a better on what could be going wrong.

"Shell!" I nearly jump off the stool at Raph's shout. I had thought he was upstairs trying to get some rest. "We're wasting time! Let's just go find the guy who did this and make him tell us how to fix Don!" I can tell he's frustrated the way his shoulders are heaving with every breath, he's been more on edge since they got Don back to the lair then the entire time Don was missing.

His raised voice and the pointing seems to have Don on edge again. He looks startled. This is not something that Donatello needs right now. It's just added stress. Leo's getting ready to deal with Raph by the looks of how he seems to square his shoulders slightly. Master Splinter seems to be happy with just watching the confrontation that's about to happen. "Raph-"

Raph's really in a mood to be glaring at Leo like that, "Leo! Even you agree with me that we should be out there finding out who did this! And don't you dare deny it, because I know you'd be lying."

"I want to go after the Foot too Raph, but I would rather go after them knowing that Don is going to be alright."

Raph jumps off the balcony and stomps over to Leo. I've only seen a handful of their arguments before but, according to Mikey, they were legendary. Very rarely -despite Raph trying to intimated Leo with his larger bulk like he is currently doing- would it result in a physical confrontation. I have to keep repeating that to myself as Raph points an accusing finger at his older brother. "You know he's going to be alright! Look," Raph needs to stop pointing at Don. He's looking more and more confused as the argument progresses. "He's standing, thinking and trying to talk to us. He's going to be fine. Now let's go bash some Foot and get some answers!"

Leo lets out a long suffering sigh. I wonder if they were arguing about this earlier when I was reading. "Rap-"

"If you rather stay here and play nurse maid, be my guest. I'm going to get answers," I sigh and rub at my face. Raph and Casey are so alike that it's creepy. There is always a point in their arguments where they lose their tempers and storm out of the room. It's so frustrating. At least Leo doesn't lose his temper like I do.

Leo grabs his arm but only enough to get Raph to turn back to him instead of heading for the staircase. "Is he acting fine to you? He doesn't even recognize Splinter! How can you say he's fine if he can't even talk right?!" Maybe I spoke too soon about this not turning physical.

Oh god, please tell me Raph isn't going to punch Leo.

"Don-"

Mikey's voice is the only warning any of us get as Donatello suddenly rockets across the room and shoves Leo and Raph apart, glaring at both of them in turn for a moment. Don one time did tell me that he had broken up a fight between the two by putting himself in the middle. It works like a charm this time too, both Leo and Raph seem to deflate as a torrent of mixed up and jumbled words spill out of Donnie.

"Rbv wtb xibvemc'w ol khjiwhcj buly xvni p dhcby mlwphe. Xb tl npc'w vcmlyxwpcm lpni bwily, ohj mlpe. Tl npc khjvyl xbdlwihcj bvw hk tl pee gvxw xwpr nped, cbw ihw lpni bwily by hcxwhjpwl khjiwx thwi lpni bwhly. Vcwhe tl npc nbdl va thwi xbdlwihcj lexl, Bypcjl'x nipypmlx tbyf tlee lcbvji kby dl wb jlw wil jlclrpe hmlp bk tipw'x jbhcj bc." There's a stunned silence for a moment before Don sighs and rubs at his temples again. "Pcm cb bcl ipx p nevl bk tipw H gvxw xphm," he walks away from his still stunned older brothers and back to the couch, saying "Lsnvxl dl," as he steps passed Master Splinter. He flops on the couch and eyes his father for a moment as if expecting to be attacked.

Raphael's voice breaks the silence that seemed to have frozen us all. "Does anyone have a clue of what he just said?"

"I think he told both you and Leo off," despite everything that has been happening and is still happening, I feel a smile stretch across my face. It did sound like Don just told both Leo and Raph to stop fighting, of course that could be wishful thinking, but again it's another small glimmer of hope that Don is still himself despite the loss of memories and a speech impediment.

"H ilptm wipw," he's rubbing absent mindedly at his temples again. He's been doing that a lot more lately. Maybe his headache is getting worse? I watch as Mikey taps him on the shoulder and mime's out having a headache and offering Don aspirin. Don rubs at his cheek as he nods his head. It's good to know that he is starting to rel-

Wait, rubbing at his face and headaches are some of the first symptoms of coming down off a high. At least for some people. That means there is a good chance that whatever was injected into him is still in his bloodstream. If it was injected, "Wait a second, Mikey. I want to take a look at him first."

I should have thought about checking this earlier, I can't believe I didn't even think of it. I snatch a pen light and walk over to Don, trying not to let any of the frustration or anger show in my movements. I have a feeling that he is also using body language to gauge our emotions and I really don't want him to think I am an enemy. His pulse is accelerated at a higher rate than it should be even with him on edge. It's all but fluttering.

Aw, isn't that cute, he's blushing.

"Guess Don thinks you're cute or something, April," I'm starting to think that too, Raph. Now I know why he was staring at me when he first saw me.

"He's got good taste," oh Casey…

I get back to checking Donatello over. His pupils are large than normal but not overly so. He is definitely coming down off something as far as I can tell. I give him a moment to finish rubbing at his eyes both turning over both his arms.

He's been giving something, a lot of something. There are needle marks all over the skin just below his elbow pads. I press at them lightly, one arm at a time, only for Don to jerk away in pain. They're tender, that means that they haven't healed fully. "He has needle marks on both arms. It looks like he was hooked up to an IV in both arms." Whatever he has been shot up with it had to been given to him in the last twenty four hours or so. There should be a good chance that there is still some of the chemicals floating around in his blood stream.

Don pulls a hand out of mine and lightly touches his neck. That can't be good. I shift closer and pull his hand down so I can look at his neck. There are needle marks along the carotid artery on both side of his neck. "He also has several needle marks on his neck. I'm going to get a blood sample so I can isolate what's in his blood stream." At least I hope I can. "He's been drugged and that is probably the cause of this whole mess."

Which is what I have been afraid of this whole time and it has only been growing since to form a lump of dread in my stomach. I'm not good with genetics or physiology or chemical engineering. I'm good with machines and computers. This is going out of my areas of expertise and into an unknown field where one screw up could hurt Donnie even more than he already is. I wish we could get ahold of Leatherhead, he's good at genetics, he'd know what to do better than I ever could. About the only thing that I can do is try and figure out what he was given then try and go from there.

I can't keep jumping ahead of myself and my defeatist attitude is not doing me the least bit of good. I can do this for Don, for my surrogate family. I force myself to take a deep breath as I gather up a hypodermic needle and an antiseptic wipe. I need that blood sample before I can go any further and worry anymore.

What's the worst that could happen?


End file.
